News Roundup 30 January 2021
Jan 30, 2021 • 4 min Read
Coronavirus cases in the Philippines rise to 523,516 with 2,109 new infections | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Health on Saturday said 2,109 more people contracted coronavirus in the country, bringing the national caseload to 523,516. Of the total number of cases, 33,943 or 7.1% are marked active. Recoveries rose to 475,904 after another 146 Filipinos were reported to have beat the virus. But the death toll hit 10,669 after the DOH logged 71 new fatalities.
Corruption index: Philippines slips to 115th | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines dropped two spots in the 2020 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) drawn up by anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International. Tied with Moldova for 115th place out of 180 countries and territories included in the report released before the weekend, the Philippines retained its score of 34 out of 100, below the global average of 43. The CPI uses a scale of 0 or “highly corrupt” to 100 or “very clean.” The Philippines ranked 113th in 2019. “Efforts to control corruption in the Philippines appear mostly stagnant since 2012,” Transparency International said. “The government’s response to COVID-19 has been characterized by abusive enforcement and major violations of human rights and media freedom.”
‘Tracing czar’ insists resignation over Baguio party flak irrevocable | INQUIRER.NET – Mayor Benjamin Magalong has resigned irrevocably as head of the country’s COVID-19 contact tracing effort following his admission that health protocols were breached at a party that he had attended with his wife, Arlene, nearly two weeks earlier. “It pains me to see my family, and my constituents, in anguish over this but I am committed to hold myself accountable and do what is necessary to rectify this misstep,” Magalong said on Thursday in his resignation letter to Carlito Galvez Jr., the chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF). “Much as I have given my best to discharge my duties for the task force, this incident has been a reminder that a higher standard is always expected of me,” said Magalong, who is also called the contact tracing czar.
China’s new coast guard law could escalate tensions in disputed waters – Pimentel | Manila Bulletin – Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel said Saturday that Senate will call for a briefing from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and experts about China’s new law allowing its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels. Pimentel, chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, disclosed this as he believes that China’s new coast guard law could escalate tensions in the West Philippines Sea and the South China Sea. The new law, he said, is “not a good development”. “The plea is, if the tension can’t be reduced, do not escalate it. But with this new law, there is more tension. This fires up the tension because they didn’t have a law before authorizing their coast guard to shoot, drive away, or board other vessels,” he said in an interview over radio DWIZ. “The law already raised tension. How much more if it is implemented,” he warned. “There is a reason to be concerned as isn’t it, among those encountered by China in the disputed waters are Filipinos?” he added. Pimentel said he lauds Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. for filing a diplomatic protest against China’s new law and put on record the Philippines’ concern. While recognizing that the Philippines should not meddle with China’s local laws, “this is a local law being applied to disputed waters.”
Callamard: Focus on those who incite killings | The Manila Times – The Department of Justice (DoJ) should not just look at government forces’ involvement in killings, but also at those who encouraged them to kill in its review of the administration’s drug war. United Nations Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard made the statement during a forum held by Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines on Friday as she stressed the need for the government to agree to a benchmark of what should be done to resolve the killings. “One of the most clear, essentially important steps that must be taken and that should be a benchmark in one way, or another is to not just focus on those that pulled the trigger but to also focus on those that emboldened those that pulled the trigger,” she said. “Is the review panel prepared to tackle incitement? Is the review panel prepared to tackle those who have repeatedly said I have your back to the killers in uniform — to the serial killers in uniform?” she added.
